Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1887-01-08
A CRAFTY WOMAN.
One OF the Greatest Confidence Opera
tors of Her Time-How She De-
ceived an Old Man.


The NeU York Times says: Charles
Dayton Talmage brought his romatic
and peculiar connection with the no.
torious adventures, Mrs. Annie Wall
ingford, to a most dramatic climax this
afternoon, when he appeared as W.T.
ness in a suit affecting his interests
which was on trial before Judge Fell.
He testified to the fraudulent and crafty
methods by which the subtle adven-
turess got him in her tolls and secured
from him ar assignment of all he own
ed on earth. The old mans frame
shook with excitement and his voice
trembled with emotion as he declared
sit was a fraud and cheat | never
owed her a cent of the $4,000 said
to have been consideration for the
assignment. She has robbed me of
$50 600. She has seventeen husbands
and twenty different Names" Mr..
Talmage said he knew whereof he
spoke, and his knowledge was acquired
by long and bitter experience.
The public has had only scraps and
inklngs of the most remarkable chap
ter in the life of the woman who is
eas " ent tied to the distinction of be-
ing one of the greatest confidence
operators of her ME. She met Charles
ID. Talmage in Paris in 1873. and their
relations soon became quite intimate.
In less than year there was quarrel,
an exchange of rings and gems. A
law, er put ia ngs IN shape and the two
actors IN tine drama sep; rated. Six
Years elapsed before they came to-
Cether aga.n. The meet ng was in a
boarding-ho house in New York, where
both were living. Mrs. Wallingford
has concealed the ravages of time W tn
cosmetics and tawny wig, and for
nearly a week she passed before Mr..
Talmage's inattent We eyes unrecog-
n 7ed and unknown. Meanwhile she had
taken the measure of her intended victim
and formed plans which contemplated
nothing less than the & ting possession
of his entire fortune. When the time
was ripe she revealed herself, brought
up pleasant memories of the past, and
prevailed upon the old man to go and
live with her in flat on Sixth avenue.
near INVENTIVE ght street Then she
commenced to carry out her well-plan-
ned schemes. She knew that at an
earlier period of his life Mr.. Talmage's
mind had been unsettled, and that he
was constantly in more or lsss dread of
a recurrence of his mental malady
which might land him in a mad-house.
This was the string on which she play
ed. She d scovered that Counselors
George w. Arundel and r. o. Moon. of
this city, had in their possession about
$4,000 which they had recovered in a
suit in VIII CHI they had acted as Tai
IMAGES counsel. To get this money
was her first object. With all the in
fluence she had over her deluded vic
tim this seemed AN easy task. She told
him that Messrs. Arundel and Moon
were his enemies and would confine
him in an insane asylum if he came to
Philadelphia. She assured him that
his relatives and friends had already
instituted proceedings to have him de-
clared a lunatic. She hired men to
track him on the streets of New York,
and then pointed them out to him as
detectives sent over to entrap him and
get him back to Philadelphia. BY
these means she persuaded him that he
could not safely come to this city. The
question then arose how he was to get
the money from MIR. Arundel. To this
she proposed an easy answer. There
was nothing to prevent her coming to
Philsdel phia, therefore give her a
Judgment note and let her collect it
from the attorneys. Talmage still hes
ilated. so he was taken to a lawyers
office and browbeaten into acquies-
cence.
Past experience had taught the ad-
ventures caution. and she fortified her
position until it seemed impregnable-
Not satisfied with getting Talmage's
signature 10 a Judgment note for S.. 400,
she also made him sign an affidavit
Stat ng that the Judgment was for bor-
rowed mon v and that he had no de-
Tense to it Of any kind or sort. Fear
ful that this m ght not bind h real es-
tae she took n addition an ass gnment
of all his property. Besides all this she
got IN to write her a letter. dated
in 1879, admitting that he owed her
money. To give tn paper the proper
appearance of age she explained that
she would dip 1t in tea and carry it in
her pocket for awhile. These papers
she brought on to Philadelphia and
spread upon the records of the common
pleas court No. 3. No PHI ladelphia
lawyer would assist in the conspiracy.
SO that she was obliged to acsher own
attorney until she brought lawyer
over from New York with her. She
issued an attachment against Mr.. Arun
del, and expected that she would get
money Immediately. Mr.. Arundel sur
prised her by making a most vigorous
and persistent defense. Without hav-
ing any precedent for his action he
stood between the woman and his for
mer client, held on to the money in spite
of the orders and protests of the latter,
and was fully sustained bv the court
Mrs. Wallineford made repeated efforts
to force him to give the money up. but
was always baked. FINALLY she got
sgusted and cked Talmage out of
the flat This was just what Mr.. Arun-
del had predicted to the court that she
would do as soon as she found herself
unable 10 get the money. Mr.. Talmage
then came ON TO Philadelph a. and Mr..
Arundel explained to him the true con-
dt.on of affairs. He was duly grateful
and became as bitter against the wo-
manas he had formerly he n strong in
his passion for her. lie retained MesSrs.
Arundel and Moon 10 ass st him IN get
ting the court to open the judgment
entered on the $500 note Deposi-
L a